My PhD

Title : From protected areas to ecological networks: science, technique and participation to think collectively the sustainability of the territory.

Abstract : Nature conservation strategies evolve from the strict protection of isolated and devoid of human activity spaces, to the integration of biodiversity issues in territory development. This change in perspective requires the development of a collective management of complexity and a collective conception of nature and highlights the developing relationship between science, policy and society.Based on a multidisciplinary approach, the objective of this thesis was the elaboration of recommendations for integrated conservation. In the context of the advent of ecological network strategies in France, our research concerns both the spatial methods and the socio-technical process which are in charge of the conservation planning. The analysis of these two issues has produced results pertinent to each theme and more general reflection concerning the role of expertise in the development of such new issues. We show how an overly technical approach, which notably aims to spatially identify the network, tends to limit the collective sharing of major issues and thus the adherence of the stakeholders to conservation goals, and also provide a reductive and partial vision of conservation issues. In contrast, a position of expertise which accompanies the dialogue on territory favors social learning and leads to a framework for public action which more fully integrates both the uncertainty and complexity of the natural world. The participative process could thus allow for a transition from technical to collective expertise as the foundation of public action, which ensures the inclusion of general knowledge and know-how. In this way, the issue is not of a compromise between science, technique and social debate, but of the way that they can complement each other through interaction and how this interaction may be conducted.

Current research

My research is at the interface between ecology, geography and Science and Technology Studies and aims at producing relevant and applied knowledge for biodiversity conservation. My main topics of interest are great apes, world protected areas and ecological networks. Focusing on both local and continental scales, I develop spatial methods and indicators to assess conservation policies and identify priority areas for integrated conservation. Simultaneously, I study the social drivers of expertise and scientific knowledge. I focus mainly on the construction and role of technical instruments, maps and spatial indicators. Such objects do not only reflect the environment but as well contribute to shape it. My main interest therefore relies on the interaction between scientific rationality and socio-political dynamics towards the construction of an evidence-based policy.